Book 1.indb - The Jamestown Foundation

The Tulip Revolution: Kyrgyzstan OneYear After
and Nurbek Turdukulov to group around Bakiyev
or Kulov. Some candidates
from southern cities such as Azimbek Beknazarov and Bayaman Erkinbayev,
tended to compete with Bakiyev because of disagreements with his policies.
Following the regime change in March, Kulov addressed the old parlia-
ment and strongly insisted that the newly elected parliament must remain in power
“whether we like it or not”. 25 Allowing the new parliament to be seated would
help stabilize the county by forestalling mass protests by the new parliamentarians.
Instead, the Central Election Commission and the Supreme Court considered in-
dividual cases of rigged elections, including victories by Bermet Akayeva
and Aidar
Akayev, children of the deposed president Askar Akayev. As prime minister, Kulov
will likely introduce more changes in the structure of the existing parliament.
Although most Kyrgyz are satisfied with the outcomes of the March 24
Tulip Revolution, recent events in Uzbekistan are raising new fears. As Kyrgyz
Ombudsman Tursunbai Bakir notes, “Kyrgyzstan might sink under increased
flows of Uzbek immigrants.” 26 As a result of escalating conflict in Andijan, approximately
600 people crossed the Kyrgyz-Uzbek border this weekend and
about 20 people were hospitalized in Kyrgyz villages. 27 In recent days Uzbeks
have rebuilt a wooden bridge in Karasuu—a town straddling the Uzbek-
Kyrgyz border—that was destroyed by Uzbek President Islam Karimov in 2002.
Kyrgyz military units have mobilized at the southern frontier, but the
border will remain open to Uzbek refugees for the next five days. 28 Residents of
Kyrgyzstan’s southern cities are protesting Karimov’s use of force, and there have
been riots in front of the Uzbek embassy in Bishkek. Some Kyrgyz leaders worry
that criminals and militants may slip into Kyrgyz territory along with the refugees.
The Kyrgyz interim government does not need instability in Uzbekistan ahead
of the presidential election. Refugee and security issues continue to divert human and
financial resources from the multitude of pressing domestic problems, such as organizing
voting stations and investigating the extent of Akayev’s corruption.
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